Starving to death on TV

Cameraman Ed Wardle set out to brave the Canadian badlands for three months, armed only with a rifle and fishing rod. [>

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But after seven weeks he was hallucinating and had to be airlifted out. [>

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Ed, who has filmed at the North Pole and on Everest, was allowed to send out a daily posting on Twitter. [>

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But friends and family became increasingly concerned when he blogged about talking to insects. [>

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Girlfriend Amanda Murray was frantic when he Tweeted to say his muscles were “disappearing”. [>

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Five weeks before he was due to finish the Channel 4 documentary Alone In The Wild, 34-year-old Ed called for help on his emergency satellite telephone. [>

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John Beyer, director of Media Watch, said: “This is a pretty foolish enterprise. If Channel 4 are going to send people on this kind of expedition, they must ensure they are up to it and have the skills to survive. [>

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“If they did not check that Ed Wardle was competent, that is the height of irresponsibility.” [>

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A Channel 4 spokesman said: “Ed received training from survival experts and extreme medical training. He had a back-up team on hand 24 hours a day and was closely monitored throughout.”[>